By T.J. Buffenbarger
- While most of the focus was on Clinton Boyles first career Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Sprint Car Series feature victory, the biggest story was taking place in the pit area with IRA point leader Will Armitage unable to make the call to start the A-Main event.
Armitage, who has put in several standout performances this year in National events and was leading the IRA point standings going into Friday night at I-96 Speedway, was already under duress with issues with two engines recently. Armitage’s team drove from Illinois to Knoxville, Iowa to borrow an engine for the Michigan swing with IRA on Thursday night and scrambled up to Michigan.
Armitage’s recent string of bad luck continued in the Great Lakes State when the loaner engine smoked and stopped running during his heat race event. Rather than risk hurting an engine that was not theirs, Armitage was forced to not make the call for the A-Main and is now questionable to make Saturday’s show at Butler Motor Speedway.
Logan Julien, who had a perfect night before Saturday’s A-Main by setting fast time in qualifying, winning his heat race, and winning the dash. Julien looked poised to complete the sweep until dropping back to third position during the second half of the 25-lap main event and allowed Armitage to hold the point lead by 11 markers over Julien.
As of early Saturday morning, there is a possibility that Armitage might have an engine lined up to use at Butler Motor Speedway on Saturday but was not confirmed. How the points shake out after Saturday’s event at Butler will be the big story after the IRA’s weekend in Michigan.
- After years of being a revolving door for race car drivers the Shannon Eifert’s Home Pro Roofing team may have found the right fit with Boyles in the drivers’ seat.
Boyles, whose primary job is taking care of Owen and Audrey Larson’s micro and junior sprint efforts, still has the desire to be in good equipment to race a handful of times a year. With Home Pro Racing’s Jay Woosley also have day job duties to attend to, this match seems to be clicking with the right balance and speed when they show up to the race track.
Due to Boyles commitment to the Larson children there will be some “guest stars” to still take the seat in the Home Pro car from time to time at some GLSS events at I-96 Speedway, which is a stone’s throw away from their shop, but for now Woosley, Doug Fisher (whose family has a long lineage of fielding and working on sprint cars in Michigan), and Boyles have found a really good situation for themselves.
- I-96 Speedway hosted the Interstate Racing Association for the first time in the state of Michigan back in 1994 and had not returned to the facility since 1997. Even with a big late model show down the road at Crystal Motor Speedway, a healthy crowd turned out to see the Wisconsin based series.
This is a positive sign as IRA has traveled further west rather than east in recent years. With Butler bringing IRA back last season and I-96 getting on board as well to make the trip around Chicago worthwhile for most of the IRA traveling teams. It will take some time to build the brand recognition back up for the IRA sprint cars in Michigan, but from what I’ve seen the show last season at Butler and Friday’s program at I-96 are a step in the right direction.